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Herodotus · 02-27-2008, 12:44 PM

I'll let Jad decide if he wants to respond or not, but in the meantime let me get back to the original reason I posted on this thread. What do we know? I don't think anybody "knows" anything unless they have a Ph.D. and spent 30 years studying a particular subject, and even then there is doubt that he or she know everything about that subject. Granted there are certain mathematical equations and scientific laws that are immutable, but they exist whether we acknowledge them or not.

People do have opinions, but these are like certain body parts, and everyone has one. How does one arrive at an opinion? It is shaped by opinion makers, teachers, loved ones, and one's own biases, to name a few. One can find enough evidence to inform his opinion, or re-enforce it, especially if it is a widely held belief. On the Iraq war people certainly have opinions about why it was fought, and how it should be won, myself included. But what do we really "know" about the war? People have all kinds of opinions as to why Napoleon lost at Waterloo, some of them really well-informed, but as an old history professor of mine once said, it could have been any variety of factors including the fact that he was suffering from gout that day, which could have led him to make bad tactical decisions.

So in posting on this thread I wanted to challenge people's basic assumptions (opinions) about the war, and the reasons we are there. It seems that most of you are self-assured that this is war was the right course of action, the execution may have been off slightly, but the strategy (such as it has been defined) is flawless. Confidence or stubbornness, I'm not sure which it is. I suppose none of you had any moments of introspection during the past four or five years as to why we are in Iraq.

Anyway just some thoughts, I don't pretend to have hidden knowledge, or any new way of thinking about the war. But if you'd like to share opinions about the war, or the war strategy, I am more than willing to listen. Because though I have opinions, I try to also keep an open mind, since in reality I don't "know" anything.

02-27-2008, 12:44 PM	#52 (permalink)
Herodotus Contributor Join Date: 04-05-07 Location: Washington, DC Posts: 439 Country:	I'll let Jad decide if he wants to respond or not, but in the meantime let me get back to the original reason I posted on this thread. What do we know? I don't think anybody "knows" anything unless they have a Ph.D. and spent 30 years studying a particular subject, and even then there is doubt that he or she know everything about that subject. Granted there are certain mathematical equations and scientific laws that are immutable, but they exist whether we acknowledge them or not. People do have opinions, but these are like certain body parts, and everyone has one. How does one arrive at an opinion? It is shaped by opinion makers, teachers, loved ones, and one's own biases, to name a few. One can find enough evidence to inform his opinion, or re-enforce it, especially if it is a widely held belief. On the Iraq war people certainly have opinions about why it was fought, and how it should be won, myself included. But what do we really "know" about the war? People have all kinds of opinions as to why Napoleon lost at Waterloo, some of them really well-informed, but as an old history professor of mine once said, it could have been any variety of factors including the fact that he was suffering from gout that day, which could have led him to make bad tactical decisions. So in posting on this thread I wanted to challenge people's basic assumptions (opinions) about the war, and the reasons we are there. It seems that most of you are self-assured that this is war was the right course of action, the execution may have been off slightly, but the strategy (such as it has been defined) is flawless. Confidence or stubbornness, I'm not sure which it is. I suppose none of you had any moments of introspection during the past four or five years as to why we are in Iraq. Anyway just some thoughts, I don't pretend to have hidden knowledge, or any new way of thinking about the war. But if you'd like to share opinions about the war, or the war strategy, I am more than willing to listen. Because though I have opinions, I try to also keep an open mind, since in reality I don't "know" anything.